Floral citrus notes, blossom spice and lime, strong mineral drive, zesty and vibrant. This wine has great poise and balance with citrus notes that linger to the back palate. 

Featuring the Proprietor’s Grandfather, S.E.D. Neill – Wine Merchant, on the label, Picnic Riesling is our perennial favourite and a wonderful introduction to the pleasure of Central Otago Riesling. We think it is just as much a dinner wine as a luncheon – equally enjoyable at home outdoors, as at the Captain’s Table. Organically grown on two small blocks at Two Paddocks home vineyard (HQ), The Red Bank Farm & Vineyard, in Earnscleugh, Alexandra. Hand harvested and crafted in to a delicious off-dry fresh style appealing to just about everyone on the planet…

Spring and early summer started off well as temperatures steadily increased and regular rainfall meant soil moisture was high enabling the vines to easily access nutrients, so the vines had strong healthy early growth.

February was cooler than typical though with several cold southerly fronts bringing rain, which slowed veraison and seemed to stall what was at that point heading for an early harvest. Then March was far warmer and actually surpassed February for heat accumulation - and an early harvest was back on! Harvest 2022 began on the 24/3/22 and finished on the 26/4/22.

It was the year that the region struggled to find workers due to Covid but Viticulturist, Mike Wing’s, close collaboration with local orchardists who all shared their workers, ensured Two Paddocks had another great harvest Crew.

Soils are schist based gravelly loams. Own roots – cane cuttings from Felton Road. Single cane, one bunch per shoot and very close planted at 5500 vines per hectare. Both shoot and lateral thinned to reduce crop load.

Leaves that expose the grapes when ripening are also plucked off to increase sunlight exposure in to the vine canopy. Hand harvested.

Brix at harvest 21.5, pH 3.02 and TA 9.0g/L. Hand harvested on the 21st April 2022 and whole bunch pressed, which just means that the press was loaded with the grapes as intact bunches, versus removing the stems first. This pressed juice was then steeped on those skins (in wine language we call that ‘skin contact’) for 14 hours to extract aromatics and flavour and then it was inoculated with yeast and fermented to just off-dry wine. We then left the wine sitting in tank on its lees (spent yeast cells that boost body and complexity) for three months before bottling.

A fantastic aperitif style that is also well matched with richer dishes of cheese, pork, charcuterie, seafood and poultry.